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A rare Asiatic black bear has been spotted living in the mined border area between North and South Korea, Seoul’s environment ministry confirmed on Wednesday.

A picture of the endangered animal, also known as the moon bear, was recorded by cameras that have been hidden among the wild foliage of the demilitarised zone (DMZ) for the past five years.

"So far there had only been an eyewitness account from a soldier that he saw the animal and unclear footage of what seemed to be an Asiatic black bear," a ministry official told the Korea Times. "But this is the first time we have got confirmation."

Although heavily mined, it has offered sanctuary to more than 5,000 identified plant and animal species, including over 100 considered to be endangered or protected.

Much of the DMZ has been a no-man's land since the 1950s, allowing wildlife to thriveCredit:
Jeon Heon-kyun/REX

According to Korean press reports, the bear was spotted in the eastern part of the zone last October but the military only sent the picture to environment officials after reviewing its security protocols.

The ministry believes that the bear is unlikely to have breached the barbed wires fences on both sides of the border, and that it was born inside the DMZ.

The animal is estimated to be eight to nine months old, weighing 25 to 35kg. Its parents may also still be roaming the deserted border area.

The Asiatic bear is native to the Himalayas, Korea, northeastern China, Russia, Japan and Taiwan.

Its population has dwindled due to deforestation and hunting for its body parts and it has been classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

South Korea’s environment ministry and National Institute of Ecology have been working to revive the species and the number of bears has now risen to 61.

The discovery of the bear’s existence in the deserted no-man’s land of the border zone follows warnings by ecologists in recent months that endangered wildlife must be protected as the area slowly opens up during a diplomatic détente with the North.

“The DMZ is home to a large number of species that have lost their habitat due to human interference. These include white-naped cranes which live in the midwestern part during the winter,” Seo Hyungsoo, a researcher at the South’s National Institute of Ecology, told The Telegraph in December.

“There are also musk deer, which live in the mid-eastern part. If the DMZ didn’t exist, these species are highly likely to have been completely wiped out in Korea. That’s why they are of high value in preserving internationally,” he said.